A young man who was employed as an ordinary
worker in a Bidi factory soon learnt the entire art of
the business and set up his own factory. He initially
invested only Rs. 5000 in his business, but then by
dint of fifteen years’ hard work, his business
progressively increased until it expanded into a big
factory. One day, narrating his life story to his
friends, he said: “Just as a young child grows into
boyhood after fifteen years, so does a business. I
have not reached this stage in one day. It has been a
fifteen-year struggle.”
In truth every piece of work is accomplished in
“fifteen” years, be it of an individual or a nation, be
it a business or a social service. Those who long for
a recipe for instant success are, in fact, living in a
fool’s paradise. It is all very well to say that a hop,
step and jump can take you right to your
destination. But as soon as one comes face to face
with reality, one realises that this is just an illusion.
Glenn Cunningham, a sportsman who became
champion of the one-mile race, saw the school in
which he was studying go up in flames. His own
experience was terrible. His feet were so badly
burnt that he could not even move his legs. The
doctors lost all hope of his ever walking or running.
They said that only a miracle could save him.
Surprisingly Glenn Cunningham’s incapacity
excited in him a new zeal and eagerness to walk
and run. All his mental faculties concentrated on his
decision to walk. So he began to experiment with
different kinds of exercises till he hit upon a novel
idea. It was to drag himself along by holding on to
the handle of a moving plough. When his feet could
even so much as rest on the ground, he felt
encouraged, and intensified his efforts. Finally, the
miracle of which the doctors had so despaired, took
place. The new technique was a tremendous success
and, ultimately, he could not only walk, but could
also run. Later he entered for a race. He set up a
new record and become a champion of the one-mile
race. But this grand success was not achieved in a
few days. He had to spend “fifteen years” realizing
his goal. Only after a fifteen year stint had it been
possible for him to become a flat racing champion.
In truth, no success is possible in this world without
working for “fifteen years.” It is God alone who has
the power to achieve instant success. But God has
not created this world on the basis of instant
success. Man must learn his lesson and should not
fritter away his time in futile efforts. In this world of
God, innumerable events are taking place, all of
which are based on eternal, immutable laws. Not
even a blade of grass grows here on the ground as a
result of wishful thinking, not even an ant can
manage to live by ignoring the realities of life. How
is it possible then for man to change the divine
laws? The only condition of success is continuous
effort, that is, to make such unflagging efforts, are
as essential to achieve the desired objectives in the
world of God according to the law of God. By
following the same principle we can achieve success
in this world; it is the same principle which will
bring us success in the next world.
--Maulana Wahiduddin Khan
( Ref - The Moral Vision)
